


Paw Prince

by squirrelsruntheworld



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 21:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6211189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirrelsruntheworld/pseuds/squirrelsruntheworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It doesn’t matter if he’s acknowledged as Adrien Agreste or Chat Noir because they’re one and the same. Step by step and clue by clue, Marinette will soon realize that her loud ‘knight in shining armor’ is and has always been her kind prince, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paw Prince

**Author's Note:**

> Bare with me. First fic for this fandom and I usually don't write this stiff. And the infamous umbrella scene got to me too...

_Girls like her don’t come around often. They’re the sunrise you feel awake for, the warm rainbow, the shy butterfly on your finger. Listen, love girls like her, with nature tucked into their front pocket, they got so much heart that they’ll lend some to you.  
-R.I.D._

Chat Noir stood in a crevice halfway up the Eiffel Tower scanning the grey skies of Paris. Black ears perked like satellites searching for any sounds out of the ordinary (panicked screams, raised voices, cacophonous destruction) but he could only make out the sounds of afternoon traffic, bubbling water fountains, and faint, happy laughter.

Bottom lip jutting out, he exhaled a puff of air out of tireless exasperation, the tuft of blonde hair above his mask stirring slightly as he crossed his arms. Leaning against the cool metal with his svelte body melting into the lattice, his stomach sat unsettled by the eerie calm of the city as his brain welcomed the reprieve.

It had been a busy day for his civilian self. The Gorilla had weaved him in and out of no less than three different photoshoots the second he stepped outside of the school's front doors. He barely managed a goodbye to Nino, as he quickened his pace whenever he saw the familiar silver four-door or the limo parked outside. It had become a terrible habit.

In between the drives of today’s maze of work he would intermittently sneak Plagg, who curled up semi-comfortable in his fencing bag, chunks of Camembert knowing he would want to step out as Chat Noir later to catch his breath.

And maybe - just maybe - a moment with Ladybug.

He knew he had photo shoots and fencing lessons near the weekend and Chinese lessons and _more_ photo shoots near the beginning of the week but there were times it coalesced into a grinding mess of camera flashes and costume changes, soulful stares and carefree smiles.

It was the same thing day in and day out yet there was _one thing_ he could always count on to surprise him...

The easy smirk that came to him so easily as Chat Noir morphed into a small grin. Just thinking about her brightened his spirits. When his energy ran low, he thought of her blue eyes, her smile, and her unwavering confidence. All that troubled him seemed to subside after that. 

With Nino, an unbreakable friendship was forged by becoming one of his very first friends at Collège Françoise Dupont and bonding over mutual hobbies. He wouldn’t give up that connection for anything in the world but with Ladybug… this was a solid bond that ran deep inside his heart beyond the ties of the Miraculous. He leapt at the chance for any sort of interaction and reaction to whatever he threw at her. Sometimes he was rewarded with a flirty grin or a flick of his bell for approval, other times she seemed riled up, clearly unamused by his jokes (he’d always think they were brilliant whether she approved or not). He craved any sort of attention he received from her but it seemed luck was not on his side today. Not that it ever was, really.

If only he could know her civilian side, too. Extinguishing the sense of waiting would calm the echo in his beating heart. Subconsciously, he pulled out his baton and flipped the screen open to establish contact, his claw lingering over the call button. She said to only use the coms in case of emergency... he doubted dealing with an aching loneliness counted. He respected her views about keeping their personal lives private, but sometimes he wished he could he call her out for a nightly patrol or daily stroll. 

With another sigh, he closed the communicator and continued to wander lost in thought. 

Would they have anything in common besides being Paris’ chosen heroes? Maybe they liked the same music or movies but maybe… not. Maybe they knew each other or even went to the same school...

But maybe not.

He decided to do a quick patrol before returning to the depressing confines of his room. With an expert snap he extended his baton, jumping his way down the side of the tower and across the park, through the trees. He passed by Alix and Kim in the middle of a game of basketball as Max kept score on his phone, grinning at the fact that those two would never stop competing. Rose and Juleka sat on a park bench in the shade, the blonde engaged in an exciting conversation as her friend listened with quiet attentiveness. 

A day without Ladybug seemed okay as long as his classmates could relax and have fun. No one seemed to take notice to him as he flew through the air, leaping from tree to tree. It was probably a good thing as seeing Ladybug or him appear was usually a cry for alarm. 

When he came upon the Jardin’s he was about to turn for the rooftops and head towards home until a familiar figure sitting alone caught his eye.

\-----

Marinette Dupain-Cheng sat on the steps of the Jardins du Trocadéro furiously sketching the idea in her head before it came to pass. Fountains bubbled, children laughed, and tourists snapped photos behind her but she stayed fixated on the dress she was currently designing for Alya’s birthday. She only had a few weeks to put it together and honestly, she meant to start it much earlier, but between homework and being one of Paris’ resident heroes, it fell to the wayside.

Well, no sense in lamenting it. She was working on it now and would pull all nighters to complete it. If she tapered the skirt around the knee and added a tulip flare then…

No, that wouldn’t work. Alya needed to maneuver around in a more comfortable fashion - she never stood still! Maybe a dress was the wrong way to go… but it was her Sweet 16 so it had to be special. She needed something more _practical_. Hmm...

“That's a lovely design, Princess,” a familiar voice purred, “What’s it for?”

Marinette startled - her pencil slipping out of her hand and bouncing to the floor - caught off guard by Chat Noir’s sudden proximity from where he stood a foot away from her shoulder. How did she not notice him come up to her?! 

“Chat Noir, you scared me!” she responded with a small frown, a hand covering her heart to calm the rampant thumping against her chest. 

“My a-paw-logies,” he said with an apologetic bow while simultaneously picking up her lost art utensil, “but I noticed you over here by yourself and curiosity and cats, you know…” He grinned, holding out the pencil between his claws.

Marinette shook her head at his terrible jokes. She didn’t like when he poured them over Ladybug but that was because they generally had more serious matters to attend to. She took the object from him and twirled it between her fingers as she gestured to the scenic view of the Eiffel Tower.

“This is my favorite spot to come to for ideas,” she explained, ignoring his penchant for punnery as she gazed upon the Eiffel Tower, “I was super focused on getting Ayla’s birthday gift started since I’m already so behind but the idea doesn’t seem to be panning out.”

Chat tucked away the little gems of knowledge that he learned about Marinette. One, that she liked to come to the Trocadero to think. Two, she was sincerely the most selfless, creative person he knew. What other teenage girls MADE their friend's gifts? He remembered the cell phone case she made for Alya last year and the hat she made Nino that had inserts for his headphones. Adrien didn't receive anything from her but he could understand why. She could hardly form sentences around him when he tried to speak to her at school so maybe she didn't really think of him as her friend?

“I’m sure she will love whatever you make for her,” Chat Noir remarked, snapping out of his thoughts to focus back on the girl in front of him, “It’s nice that you make your gifts so purr-sonal.”

“I try my best.”

“Maybe you could sketch me some time?” he asked with a waggle of his eyebrows below his mask.

“Oh! In my wildest dreams, how could I ever?! You're always on the move, saving people, fighting villains!” She enthused with a tiny smirk across her face. “You don’t have a -paws- button, do you?”

He liked this coherent, enthusiastic side of Marinette. His grin stretched across his face as he wiggled his gloved hands in front of him.

“I’m afraid not, dear Marinette. Paws only.” 

Marinette's eyes widened as she scrambled for her sketchbook, flipping to an empty page.

“Chat! That’s it!”

Immediately lead met paper in lightning-fast movements. Chat Noir stood by curiously, wondering what idea set her ablaze. In a few minutes, she turned her drawing towards him. 

“Fingerless gloves! And a jacket to match with pockets to hold her phone and her charger. The jacket will be warm enough to wear but dual as a stylish overcoat to accent her outfit and the gloves will be useful for when it's cold but she needs to use her phone.” She smiled and it was like sunlight spread across her face. 

“Wow! Very cool,” Chat said, impressed and slightly mesmerized.

The cool, grey skies of Paris that had, at first, seemed amicable now turned into dark, chilling skies with the threat of a downpour. The wind began fluttering the pages of her sketchbook in a playful back and forth game. Her gaze tore away from his as she finally took in her surroundings.

“I should be heading home as should you before you get caught in the rain,” she said with a slight shiver as she shrugged on her school bag. “I mean, we can’t have half of Paris’ protectors coming down with a cold.”

Chat Noir tilted his head in a thoughtful regard before speaking.

“Then allow me to make sure you get home safely, at least.”

Marinette’s eyes widened as she released her clutch from the bag straps. Her hands began waving frantically in dismissal in front of her as she chuckled nervously.

“That’s- that’s not necessary. I couldn't _possibly_ take up the famous Chat Noir’s time just for a walk home. Surely you have other more, important matters to attend to.”

“I am your knight, no? As is my duty, I will make sure your travels to your castle are secure.” He winked, stretching his baton over his shoulders. 

“Really though-” she protested.

“Purr-incess, I insist. It's no trouble at all,” he interrupted, gesturing for her to lead the way, “It would not sit well with me knowing you are walking home alone.” Big, green eyes peered up at her.

Marinette’s shoulders slumped in defeat and she accepted her fate, allowing Chat Noir to follow her to her abode. He stayed eerily quiet for once as they walked down the streets of Paris, the sidewalks barren as others have already found their way indoors. There were so many things he wanted to ask her but how to do so without giving himself away?

“So what were you doing out and about? Was there trouble nearby?” she questioned, breaking the ice he was so hesitant to tap.

“No, nothing like that,” he replied, “I like to do a quick patrol every now and then.”

“Without Ladybug?” There was an odd tone in her voice that he couldn’t quite decipher.

“Of course. She can’t be around all the time.” He quickly glances down at the ground before turning to her with an assuring look, “If something important happens, I’ll contact her but somehow we always end up in the same place at the right time. Superhero intuition, you see.”

The eye roll she failed to hold back went unnoticed as rain drops began falling the moment they reached the patisserie. 

“Until another time,” He signalled with his gentlemanly bow before taking her hand into his to raise to his lips.

“Ah! Chat, wait!” she said, pulling away before ducking inside. Within moments she was back at his side, holding out an extended umbrella, “Cats don't like to get caught in the rain, right?”

Chat Noir stood transfixed on the hand that held out the object, a sense of deja vu rippling through him. He flicked his wrist in a gentle wave before taking his leave with the umbrella in his possession.

“Princess, you are too kind. I will return this to you when I can.” 

_‘And somehow, I will get to know you better, Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ ’, he thought.


End file.
